Scouting and Highlights: Justin Fischer (2018)
Justin Fischer of De La Salle High School and AAU squad TEAM Basketball is one of the best passers in the state of Michigan. Regardless of class, his passing/true point guard ability is elite. He stands at 6’3″ which is good size for a point guard. Size, speed, handles, vision, defense – Fischer has it all to be a true point.
Fischer has seen a ton of NAIA interest, a level that would be the best fit for him. If he plays down to D3 or JuCo, he would be a very good if not elite player. If he plays up at the D2 level, he would have to improve in order to earn playing time.
Here’s my take on Fischer’s game:
Strengths:
Passing – His combination of elite vision and accurate passes makes him an elite passer. It is almost a given that Fischer will make a pass or two a game that leaves your jaw on the floor. His passing ability creates easy shot opportunities that would not be there otherwise. It is important to note that he doesn’t turn the ball over trying to force a pass too often – which makes all the difference.
Speed – Fischer has above average speed. It’s not an explosive, blow-by speed; rather, it’s more of a track speed that helps him advance the ball up the floor very fast. Also, he has good lateral speed/quickness as well. The most important impact his speed has is the ability to advance the ball up the floor and get into an offense quickly.
Playmaking – This goes hand-in-hand with the passing ability since he’s not much of a scorer, but it’s important to note that Fischer does plenty of creating by himself. Also, he’s lethal coming off a pick-and-roll, an ability that’s super important for a point guard to have. While Fischer will never take over a game by himself, he will consistently make everybody around him better.
Finishing – He’s displayed an ability to finish at the rim when he chooses too. While he definitely does not look to score first, he’s a good enough scoring threat around the rim that it forces the defense to be honest. He’s capable of finishing at the rim, as his good size and athleticism allows him to elevate. In addition to this, he’s got a nice floater in his arsenal.
Areas For Development:
Scoring – The biggest knock on Fischer’s game is his passiveness in the scoring department. He definitely has the ability to create shots – he just doesn’t look for them that often. I think developing the consistent ability to score the ball could make him a D2 player. All the tools are there, it’s more that Fischer has to look to be aggressive and get his own in addition to facilitating.
Shooting – Perhaps becoming more of a threat from beyond the arc would help make Fischer a better scorer. Fischer rarely looks to shoot, so it’s less of him not being able to shoot and more of him simply not attempting to. Similar to scoring as a whole, Fischer should look to be more aggressive in getting his own, whether that be shooting or finishing around the rim. Even if he only gets around that 15ppg mark he will be super effective when combined with his ability to make others better.